Ofsted NEW Inspection Framework consultation

Ofsted launched their consultation this week for the new Inspection framework, to be in place from September 2019.

This consultation closes at 11:45pm on 5 April 2019. Consultation documents can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/education-inspection-framework-2019-inspecting-the-substance-of-education

Alongside this consultation the DFE have published the following materials:
the draft education inspection framework 2019
the draft inspection handbooks for early years, schools, non-association independent schools and further education and skills
a commentary setting out the research that has informed the development of the criteria in the framework

Feedback will help refine and improve our proposed approach. All responses will be considered carefully before finalising and publishing the framework in summer 2019.

Sleep Workshop for Parents

Thank you to those parents who attended the workshop this morning on sleep.  Ani, our school nurse, provided some really interesting, science-based information and plenty of tips to support parents with ensuring their child gets sufficient sleep.  The recommended about being, 10 - 12 hours per night for  pupils aged 3 to 6 years and 10 - 11 hours per night for 7 to 12 year olds.  She also talked about the impact having sufficient sleep has on children's behaviour and their ability to concentrate.  It certainly reminded me about the positive impacts so it will be an early night for me tonight!  For those who did attend, I will email out Ani's PowerPoint, as soon as I receive it.

Making sense of relationships (NSPCC/PSHE Association)

The NSPCC and the PSHE Association have worked together to produce teacher resources for key stages 2-4 on personal safety and healthy relationships.

There is a teachers' guide to help create a safe learning environment for the lessons, what to do if they receive a disclosure and where to signpost young people for help. The guide also includes a template letter to parents to inform them about the content and purpose of the lessons.

The topics include:

• transition to secondary school
• online safety and online friendships
• consent
• sexualised behaviour
• unhealthy relationships and
• sharing sexual images

At this time of year, there are three particularly useful lessons for Year 6 pupils as they move on to secondary schools. Their friendships and relationships change, bringing about many new and sometimes difficult challenges.

Find the resources here: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/safeguarding/schools-protecting-children-abuse-neglect/making-sense-of-relationships/download-pshe-resources

Source: Andrew Hall
Specialist Safeguarding Consultant

NSPCC 'How safe are our children?'

The NSPCC's annual report, 'How safe are our children' compiles and analyses the most robust and up-to-date child protection data that exists across the 4 nations in the UK.

The charity has been consolidating the national data for the last five years and consistently looks at the same indicators each year, to track changes over time.

Key points include:

• There have been increases in police-recorded child sexual offences across the UK, and increases in child cruelty and neglect offences in all UK nations except Scotland.
• The last decade has also seen increased numbers of children on child protection plans and registers.
• Almost a quarter of young people were contacted online by an adult they did not know; and since the offence of communicating indecently with a child was introduced in England and Wales in April 2017, over 3,000 crimes have been recorded by the police.

You can find the report here: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/services-and-resources/research-and-resources/how-safe-are-our-children-2018

Information courtesy of Andrew Hall, Specialist Safeguarding Consultant.

INSET: Carefully Crafted Lessons

Now we have 'done away' with groups we need to get even better at crafting lessons and task design to ensure stretch for high attainers and scaffolding for others. Teachers should be thinking precisely about every example we use and every question set for pupils. This ensures slow but steady progression, by varying just one component of the questions at a time. Pupil work time should be regularly punctuated by teacher-led discussion and examples, so frequently ‘reels the kite back in’ after letting children run with it in their own work. We used an example from Wroxham School in Potters Bar: https://vimeo.com/69709930

In the example lessons, students are given the input as a whole class 

Children then self-select the task they feel best suits their confidence with the content. 

If they feel the challenge they picked was too hard or too easy, they are free to go back and pick another one. 

Children were taught to challenge themselves but also not feel ashamed of picking the easier challenge if they want to. 

They can work through all 3 challenges during the lesson if they wish so can build confidence during a lesson.

INSET: No Child Left Behind!

One of big themes this year is about progress and leaving no child behind. Our INSET was focussed on classroom strategies that allow equal and equitable opportunties for all children to learn. The cartoon below illustrates the message well.

To highlight this principle in our school, one of the actions we felt necessary was a big change to the way we group children in lessons. Talking to our children, there is a perception of the 'red' table that we feel is not justified or serving any purpose in a truly equal and equitable education system. This can have implications for children's self-esteem and can lead to a focus on the group rather than the individual. Here are some of our comments:

Flexible seating allows pupils to work with different children in the class which encourages them to work independently and cooperatively with a variety of personalities.

Having a concept explained by a peer is extremely powerful and equally; articulating methods to others embed concepts more thoroughly.

Flexible seating allows the teacher to accurately target the pupils who need it in response to on-going assessment.

Coloured grouping cultivates an ethos of fixed mind-sets.  The children know where they stand in the class – there is very little movement or opportunities for them to go beyond these groupings.  Their tasks and activities are set for their table; however, there is no real personalised challenge.  This puts a ceiling on children's learning.

Grouping children by presumed ability rests on the assumption that teachers know exactly what each child will achieve in a lesson. In reality this is rare, as completing tasks does not always equate with achievement.

Children may be sat next to the same child/ren year after year or may be kept on a table to make up the numbers.

Parent Feedback: Clubs and After School Provision

In the final bit of feedback from earlier in the term, we asked parents about after school clubs and provision in general for before and after school. Admittedly, it wasn't a greatly worded question as some have taken this to mean the variety of clubs and others the aspect of child care as is clear below. This is a tricky one - we don't have space or funding to offer a great deal more than we already do. I'd hope in the future that we were able to provide some sort of facility for before and after school care for working parents but there would be a cost involved.

In comparison to other schools clubs are fairly poor

All sport related. How about more creative clubs such as cooking or art?

Don’t need

More variety to encourage different sports

Always something for everyone

Not needed by me

Would be interested in before and after school clubs

After school clubs – fantastic

We would really like a breakfast and after school club

After school club would be useful for me

We would welcome and after school club

Greater variety for sports – more drumming or even arts and crafts

Poor choice in comparison to some other schools

Would like greater variety ie a science or art based club

We wouldn’t use these if available

No need at the moment

My child does not participate

These would not be something we would use

I would like to see more clubs aimed at girls

I’d love one to exist for wrap around care

There is no breakfast club which is a bit annoying